Tormentil

Potentilla erecta

About

Tormentil is a common, low-growing and creeping perennial of acid grasslands, heaths and moors, as well as roadside verges. Its four-petalled yellow flowers appear May to September and provide nectar for solitary bees.

How to identify

Tormentil has four-petalled, yellow flowers, and glossy, deeply toothed leaves with three lobes - although it looks as though they have five with the addition of two large stipules at the base of the leafstalk.

Where to find it

Widespread.

Habitats

When to find it

May

June

July

August

September

How can people help

Windswept heaths and moors are an iconic feature of the UK's landscape and are the result of hundreds of years of low-impact human activities such as livestock-grazing and scrub clearance. Yet development and the decline of traditional farming methods have caused many of these precious habitats to be lost - for example, over 80% of lowland heathland in the UK has disappeared in just 200 years. The Wildlife Trusts manage many heathland habitats for the benefit of wildlife. By volunteering for your local Trust you can help too, and you'll make new friends and learn new skills along the way.